Supporters of the idea of recovering wild wolves to Vermont and the northeastern United States suffered a setback recently when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied a petition seeking to designate gray wolves in the Northeast as a distinct population.

The FWS had a simple reason for denying the petition: There is no proof that a population of wolves exists.

The end result is no recovery plan will be developed to bring the wolf back in the Northeast.

But the issue remains and it’s worthy of consideration.

Wolves are one of those signature species that draw dramatic and divergent views.

Like coyotes, the wolf is hated in some camps and revered in others.

The opposition to wolves can best be found out west where wolf wars have been fought for decades and popular refrains include, “We got rid of them for a reason,” and “The only good wolf is a dead wolf.”